State Farm Arena blackout
Fans use their cell phones to light the court after the lights went out as play resumed with just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on June 18, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
  • The lights at State Farm Arena went out during the last two minutes of the 76ers-Hawks playoff game.
  • The Hawks were down by one when the lights went out but fell behind when the game resumed.
  • The Hawks could have clinched the series, but now must go to Philadelphia for Game 7 on Sunday.
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The lights went out at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, during the final two minutes of an NBA playoff game between the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

The Hawks, the home team, were down 94-93 in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals when the blackout struck. But they collapsed down the stretch after the lights came back on and the game resumed.

The 76ers grew their lead to five points to win 104-99 after the Hawks made several costly mistakes.

The Hawks had momentum prior to the blackout.

Atlanta's Star point guard Trae Young hit a crucial 3-pointer just before the lights went out, which led the Hawks back to within a point after trailing by eight three minutes prior.

But when the lights came back on, the Hawks missed three shots while committing five fouls and a turnover.

Meanwhile, the 76ers were nearly on the wrong end of a collapse themselves before the lights went out. Their 8-point lead dwindled after star center Joel Embiid committed an offensive foul and got into a heated scuffle with Hawks guard John Collins, which spilled onto the sidelines and forced security to get involved.

Embiid's foul gave the Hawks the ball, and the frustration from the scuffle may have been the cause for Embiid to immediately commit another technical foul and 76ers guard Greg Hill to commit a shooting foul.

Atlanta capitalized on Philadelphia's mistakes to pull within a point, but the blackout seemingly gave Philadelphia a new lease on life as they were able to regroup and pull away at the end of the game.

The Hawks would have clinched the series and secured a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals had they come back to win, but instead, they will now have to go to Philadelphia for a deciding game 7 on Sunday.

This was not the first time a mid-game power outage changed the momentum of a high-stakes sporting event.

Super Bowl XLVII, which took place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2013, saw a power outage shortly after halftime. In that game, the Baltimore Ravens led the San Francisco 49ers 28-6 early in the third quarter before the lights went out.

But after the lights came back on and the game resumed, the 49ers went on a 25-11 run to pull within five points in the final quarter.

Baltimore kept San Francisco out of the endzone on the last drive of the game and held onto win 34-31 by giving up a 2-point safety in the endzone, but the blackout is still regarded as one of the most infamous momentum shifters in sports history.

But now the 76ers have a chance to make Friday's power outage more consequential. Their strong finish at the end of game 6 could be a turning point in the NBA season as a whole, and if they win game 7 at home on Sunday they will secure the organization's first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001.

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